Here's a good way of disposing your Christmas tree in Banburyshire

Residents can put their real Christmas trees out for collection via Cherwell District Council’s brown bin service, which is used year-round for recycling food and garden waste.

The district’s Christmas trees will then be taken to an in-vessel composting site at Ardley where they are composted at high temperatures before being redistributed to farmers as compost.

Cllr Dan Sames, Cherwell’s lead member for clean and green, said: “Removing the lights and baubles and taking down the Christmas on 12th night signifies the end of Christmas and Yuletide festivities for my family and many others across the district.

It is sad to see the colour go, however, by putting out our trees for composting the compost produced can help to provide a riot of colour in our gardens later in the year.

“Soil is a really important resource for the sustainability of our food chain. By properly composting their Christmas trees, and not forgetting food and garden waste, people are doing their bit to support farmers in our region, and the wider environment.”

Alternatively, people whose real Christmas trees are potted and still have their roots can care for them in their gardens until next year.

Residents leaving large trees out for composting are asked to cut them into pieces that are four feet tall or smaller, to make it safe to load them into the council’s recycling trucks. These can be left next to the brown bin on collection day if they do not fit into bin itself.

People should also ensure that all decorations are removed from the trees before putting them out for collection.